KUALA LUMPUR: Police are on the hunt for a man known as Castelo, believed to be the mastermind behind a series of cable thefts in Sentul and Kepong over the past five months.
Sentul district police chief Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Sukarno Mohd Zahari said this follows the arrest of five individuals during operations around the Klang Valley on Nov 29 and 30, linked to a cable theft incident in Jalan Lang Kuning, Kepong.
"The 23-year-old suspect, who has five prior criminal records, is believed to have led a syndicate stealing cables belonging to telecommunications companies before selling them to a scrap shop in Gombak at RM32 per kilogramme (kg) after burning them.
"The syndicate typically operated between 4.30am and 6am, disguising themselves as maintenance workers to avoid detection," he told a press conference at the Sentul District Police Headquarters here yesterday.
Ahmad Sukarno said the operations led to the seizure of two cars, a lorry believed to have been stolen in Kajang and various cables of different sizes.
Police also confiscated a sack containing 840kg of copper cables and several cable-cutting tools, with the total value of the seizure estimated at over RM150,000.
"Following investigations, we solved three cable theft cases in Sentul. Checks revealed all suspects, aged between 19 and 52, have previous criminal records," he said.
He added that four of the five suspects were charged at the Kuala Lumpur Court on Tuesday under Sections 379 and 414 of the Penal Code, while another has been released. – BERNAMA